Confessions of the Guilty
by BatteredChild
Summary: Mrs. Lovett began to feel guilty after lying about Lucy's fate. One-shot. One sided Todd/Lovett


_AN: First try and Sweeney Todd fiction, hope it's alright. Written for 30 Screams prompt 7, A Confession_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Sweeney Todd or it's characters._

**Confessions of the Guilty**

Even as she told him that Lucy had poisoned herself she knew that if he learned the truth, that she wasn't dead and was in fact living as a beggar, a whore on the streets that it would lead to her downfall.

He had only been there a few nights and already her guilt was eating her up inside. Oh if it had been almost anyone else she would have had no regrets and indeed she was almost surprised that her usually lax conscience had made an appearance. She knew that it was because she loved him that she felt guilt for lying to him about his Lucy's fate.

So before the consequences became even worse for her she decided to tell him the truth.

She closed up shop for the night and made her way upstairs to Mr. Todd's residence.

As she suspected there was no reply to her knock so Nellie simply let herself in. Sweeney didn't even acknowledge her presence until she spoke up.

"Mr. Todd, I have a confession to make."

He finally turned to looked at her and raised an eyebrow, but still said nothing.

"I think that you may have ah, misunderstood me when I said that your Lucy had poisoned herself that other day when you come into the shop." She had remained near the door, ready to run but Sweeney took a few steps towards her.

"Go on then Mrs. Lovett. What is it that you think I misunderstood? You told me that Lucy poisoned herself with arsenic, and that you tried to stop her. What is there to misunderstand?"

"Well you see," she looked down at her hands that were white with their grip on one another. "She did poison herself, and I did try to stop her. She didn't listen to me and she took it. Made her real sick for a long time it did." She paused again trying to ignore that her mind was screaming out that she just stop talking for once in her miserable life and run.

"And then she died. What is your point Mrs. Lovett?"

"She's not dead," she said before she could stop herself.

"What?!" he was upon her now, he had her backed against a wall, his hand on her throat, oh how happy she was he didn't have one of his "friends" in his hand. Though of course he cold probably just choke the life out of her if he chose to.

"You lied to me. You lied! Tell me where she is!" he roared, hitting her head against the wall as he spoke.

"No! I didn't lie! I told you she poisoned herself and she did, she did! She was sick for a while and ended up locked up in the asylum. I thought she had died for sure and then a while back she turned up on the streets around here. I tried to talk to her but she didn't know who I was, didn't know who she was either. I swear, the only reason I didn't tell you was because your Lucy is dead Mr. Todd! She's not the same anymore, wouldn't even know ya now she wouldn't!"

Sweeney clutched her throat tighter, blackness invading her sight.

"You're lying woman! Tell me the truth!"

"I swear I am, that beggar out on the street, that's _your_ Lucy. I told you she's not the same no more."

Finally he let her go and she slid down the wall rubbing her aching throat with one hand and keeping herself upright with the other.

"Take me to her, show me," he said this so quietly that Nellie almost didn't hear and she wasn't sure she could stand yet to do as he said.

"Get up and show me now," he grabbed her arm and hauled her to her feet. She took a few shaky steps and nodded her head before leaving the room. He followed without another word.

It didn't take them long to find her, and it took even less time for Sweeney to realise that Nellie Lovett had not lied about her being different, about her not remembering him.

"Lucy," he whispered, approaching her.

"Evenin' sir, got a penny for a poor woman? Or per'aps you're after somethin' diff'rent?"

"What? Lucy it's me. It's Benjamin."

She looked at him for a long moment before speaking and Sweeney thought she must have remembered until, "Benny, Benny, Ben. What'll it be tonigh' my dear Benny?" she began to grope at his clothing, trying to pull his coat off.

"Lucy?"

Finally Nellie stepped in, she was still worried but she hoped he might see now that Lucy really was dead and the thing that occupied her shell was no more Lucy than Sweeney Todd was Benjamin Barker, only in a different way.

She pulled on his arm and he came away quietly, still in shock at what his once beautiful and virtuous wife had become.

"Mr. T? Come on love. It's cold out."

Sweeny stood there in stunned silence and allowed himself to be led away. It seemed that Mrs. Lovett really was trying to protect him. But he didn't need protecting, and while he would keep her around for now he was sure that she would soon outlive her purpose.


End file.
